Body Heat
by Carie Valentine
Summary: Freezing in the Paramina Rift, Ashe and Basch find one way to keep warm: body heat. Updated.


Author's Note: First and foremost allow me to thank Sita 900 for being an awesome writer and an even better beta. Without her most of this wouldn't be as good as it is. Also, for pushing me to write more detail and teaching my I am not as good in grammar as I thought I was. But I mean that in a good way. Either way, many thanks go to her because she a rad beta.

Anyway, it's been a long time since I wrote a fic and is a first in many ways for me: one it is my first Final Fantasy XII fic and my first epically detail sex scene. When I was planning this story in my head I going to make it a little dirty but I chickened out when I was typing it up. But I was told I could stand to add more details so I did. And it was so awkward and difficult and embarrassing and super awkward. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this and you let me know what you thought: good, bad or otherwise. Writers love feedback.

P.s. Thanks to Miss Famke for pointing out some mistakes I missed. I don't get angry if you point out mistakes I made, feel free to drop me a line pointing out something.

P.p.s. I reread this almost two years after writing it and realized it needed fixing still so I updated it a little and added some other minor details.

* * *

Body Heat

The image of the jagged, snow covered rocks outside filled her vision. The air was dry, despite the blizzard, making it seem that much colder. But for the moment they were at least out of the wind and that helped: if only a little.

No one from the party had been particularly prepared for such bitter temperatures, but Ashe seemed to be the least prepared. She had spent a mere handful of times away from her desert home, and even then she had been prepared and dressed appropriately for the climates. However, she hadn't the time to acquire warmer clothes; all of her clothes were back in Dalmasca, in her castle, at least, she assumed so. She was left with the clothes her uncle had given to her during her daring retreat when the Empire first invaded her home. All of that seemed like a lifetime ago to her now.

This new life found her parading around the coldest region of all Ivalice in clothes that left little to the imagination of leering men. The white shirt that, in its intended climate, provided her with much needed relief however now exposed more of her to the elements: provocatively inviting frost bite to caress her delicate skin.

Her legs were getting the brunt of the iciness. Her pink skirt barely covered anything and made her question Ondore's judgment, as well as what kind of niece he truly saw her as. But at least the skin beneath the small piece of cloth was relatively warm. The sweat beneath her metal leg armor had long since froze and fused the protective gear to her like a second skin.

She wished wholeheartedly that she was back in Dalmasca at that moment basking in the desert heat. But that was no longer possible. Instead she was out seeking the aid of anyone who dare to stand against the greedy, iron fist of the Empire. This meant the Grand Kiltias, who conveniently resided on Mt. Bur-Omisace. This was why she found herself laying on the icy floor of a cave located somewhere within the Paramina Rift: a place desert flowers should not venture.

Rolling over, Ashe pulled the tails of her shirt as far as they would stretch around her exposed thighs. Her vision now filled with the dying fire Basch had set up hours ago when they decided this cave to be perfect to set up camp in when the snow storm began. However, the fire did little to fight the frost that existed there.

Dejectedly, she sat up and scooted closer to the flaming logs: realizing that in her state of dress, sleep would only come in the form of a hypothermic coma. She stretched her hands out towards the fire; only then did she notice her dire shape: her cuticles were purple and her skin a sick and eerie shade of blue-grey. She knew she needed to huddle up to something warm or else she would not live to see the morning, let alone the liberation of Dalmasca.

To her right, the two orphans lay innocently tangled around each other. They were only slightly better dressed for the snowy weather than she was but only just. Their skin retained its healthy pink hue yet they were still cold enough to be chattering slightly even in their sleep.

To her left lay the sky pirates, laying side-by-side under a blanket. Though the dashing Balthier had most of the blanket wrapped around himself: the viera were well know for their ability to maintain body heat regardless of the climate. Ashe wondered why this was so and how she too could capitalize on this adaptation; although she was sure it was humely impossible.

Regardless, this was not a viable option for the former princess. The self proclaimed "leading man" had made it quite clear to the entire party that use of his blanket came with a hefty fee. For Vaan and Basch, that meant supplying him with gil. But for she and Penelo, he was willing to also accept payment in the form of bodily compensation: the orphan girl was clueless to what that meant but Ashe knew and reassured the naive girl that it was not worth it.

"Suit yourselves," he had said before making a big show to envelop himself in the thick Archadian coverlet filled with "only the finest chocobo down."

The tint of her skin now made Balthier's offer quite tempting but she did not have nearly enough gil on her to pay his up front fee: none of them did. And her pride and honor refused to let her become a pirate's whore for the one time use of a blanket. She would rather die than give in to his charms and seemingly flawless good looks. She had proclaimed as much when he made the offer: just simply left off the latter part about his good looks and charm. She knew she would never hear the end of his boasting if she had.

Ashe rose from her place on the floor and decided the two orphans would only benefit from her if she joined their sleeping arrangement. Just then, a thick body filled the entrance to the cave.

Basch fon Ronsenburg lumbered into the cave with an arm full of fresh cut fuel for their dying fire. As quietly as he could, the disgraced knight began to feed the fire making it bigger than it had been originally. With a small sigh, Basch stood up and jumped when he finally noticed Ashe.

"Your Highness," he said, approaching her quickly. "Are you alright?" He took her hands in his and hastily remarked, "My gods, you are frozen."

Slowly, he began to rub his hands over hers. Ashe reveled in the heat he was giving to her and wondered how he managed to be so warm despite the fact that he had just come in from outside. She dare not imagine that state of it out there when compared to the cold in the cave. She watched as his hands lovingly restored blood flow into her own, noticing the fresh cuts on his arms. The trail ended with a large horizontal abrasion on his forehead. It was superficial but bleeding all the same.

"Gods," she breathed, running her fingers through the rivers of blood she failed to notice prior, forging a path down his rugged, unshaven face.

"It hurts not, my lady. I have had far worse in my day," Basch told her, wishing for her to stop touching him in such a manner. When she did not, he grabbed her wrist and forced her hand from him. "You are in a much more desperate situation than I." He examined her lightly frost bitten hands now slick with his blood.

"You shall not tend to me until I have tended to you," she proclaimed in her royal tone. Basch simply nodded.

Proudly, Ashe walked over to the resting place of the satchel of their supplies and rummaged through it, not caring if someone woke up. With the supplies she needed, she returned to Basch and ordered him to the ground. He said nothing, not daring to go against the orders of a royal.

Although she was technically not royalty anymore, he could not see her as anything but. He knew he should not look at her with romantic eyes, but the gods had graced her with such beauty that it was often times difficult to remember her status. That was why he had stared at everything but her on the day she married Rasler. Despite being a man of honor, he was still a man and could not stop the images of how he would spend a wedding night with her. Even now, it took every ounce of his self restraint when he was near her wearing only a little more than she would in his fantasies.

He watched her as she carefully soaked a piece of spare cloth in potion. Every part of her seemed to be perfect. If their circumstances different, he would have her in a second. Basch instantly scolded himself for such thoughts, quickly beginning his mantra that reminded him she was a princess. Had he allowed his mind to continue, he would have to sit outside for a long while to calm himself down before retiring for the night. He feared to think of what else he might do.

Basch winced and groaned as the cold rag made contact with his skin. The sound of his gruff voice sent shivers down her spine. She had always been attracted to Basch's deep voice. She could not quite explain it but there was something about his voice that was so enticing. It simply screamed masculinity and that had excited her since the age of thirteen. Her father had always told her to think of Basch and Vossler as her brothers. Vossler was easy to think of as a sibling but she could never do the same with Basch. She was sure that if she had she would be considered wicked.

Ashe meticulously wiped the potion across his laceration. When the wound had sealed itself and stopped bleeding, she began to wash the blood from his face.

"I thank you, my lady," Basch said, bowing his head slightly when she was done.

"No need to thank me, Basch. It is my pleasure to take care of you every now and then," Ashe replied, folding the cloth and stuffing into the empty bottle. She stood and deposited the bottle to the bag before returning to sit beside Basch whose eyes were now closed. Exhaustedly, Ashe rest her head against the ex-renegade knight, allowing the frigid sleep to claim her.

Basch shifted beside her but she was too tired to care until she felt something heavy drop onto her torso. Her eyes shot open and looked to see his leather vest wrapped around her; leaving him in his thin, white sleeveless chemise.

"It is not much," Basch said quietly. "But it is all I have to offer you, my lady."

"But what of you? Surely you will freeze in such little clothing," Ashe replied with concern, looking over his now exposed chest and making note of every defined muscle she could see. Her body stung as the blood in her abdomen began to reheat.

"After two years hanging in Nabradia, my body no longer feels such things as this," he explained with a hint of sadness.

"I am sorry, Basch. For everything," Ashe spoke quietly. The older man chuckled softly to himself.

"It is not your fault, my lady. You played not part in the ill fate that befell me."

"But I-"

"There is nothing you could have done. I bare no grudge against you, Ashelia."

Silence overtook the duo and Basch took this as an opportunity to let his tired body rest. He assumed the rustling he felt beside him was her finding a comfortable position to sleep in, that is until he felt her cold, dry lips press against his equally chapped ones. Basch's eyes shot opened and he pushed her away just as her tongue touched his lower lip.

"By the gods, what are you doing?" he asked her, wiping the sensation off his mouth with the back of his hand. Although he was secretly happy she had done that, he was too shocked to continue; not to mention it was completely against every honor code he had ever bought into. The gods knew he wanted her but he could not; she was untouchable to him on so many levels it hurt sometimes. Ashe's brows knit anger.

"You have yet to tend to my 'desperate situation,'" Ashe said sternly.

"I gave you my vest, did I not?" he asked in desperation.

"That is not satisfactory," she said trying to kiss him once more. But Basch held her at bay.

"But, my lady, it is not proper," he cried trying to hold her as she struggled. She stopped and looked at him, the fire dancing in her deep blue eyes.

The cold must have driven her to delirium, he thought.

"Fine, if that is the way you wish to play. Basch, I order you to warm me in a manner in which I see fit," Ashe demanded.

Basch opened his mouth to reply but said nothing. He could see the mischievous grin grace her royal face. It would go against all his training to defy the order of his superior; especially one he had, on a number of occasions, failed.

"As you wish, Lady Ashe," Basch said with a smile and wrapped his arms around her back. Ashe wasted no time returning to her place from before. This time, however, Basch opened his mouth and let her tongue taste his own. He let out a low groan of satisfaction, mentally telling the gods that if this were a dream, he would spend the rest of his natural life and the one after making them pay.

Breaking the kiss, Ashe moved her mouth to his unshaven jaw down to his exposed chest, making quick work of the buckles that held his see through white shirt together. Basch closed his eyes and ran a hand through her hair as she left her marks across his chest and stomach. Abruptly, Basch placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from him. A look of disappointment crossed Ashe's face.

"I am sorry, my lady," he said. "You are the one who is cold, yet I am the one receiving all the heat."

They smiled at one another before Basch pushed her down on her back. Ashe winced slight as her exposed lower back met with the frozen stone floor. She warmed right back up again as Basch tentatively opened the clasp of her shirt, freeing everything the piece of cloth covered.

"Oh gods," she moaned as he attacked her chest like a starved babe. With nothing else around for her to grasp, Ashe grabbed onto his long blond locks, holding him in place.

Basch allowed his right hand to travel down her body, skillfully unhooking any belt he came across. Finally, it reached its destination. Slowly, his hand wandered up her pink skirt and tugged at her underwear before teasing her.

"Oh gods. Basch, I cannot wait," she moaned. He pulled his mouth away from her chest and stopped all ministrations.

"All in good time," he said with a devilish smile. He knew not when such an opportunity would again arise so he was determined to take his time. He kissed her before she could protest further. She tried to pull away as she neared her peak but his left hand held her down. His mouth pulled away from hers as it subsided. His body slumped against the rock wall behind him.

"Warm yet, my lady?" he asked as they both caught their much needed breath. She eyed him up and down as she crawled over to him.

"Not at all," she whispered running her hands over his thighs. He grunted a laugh as she unbuttoned his brown pants, extracting his manhood. Bunching her skirt around her waist she moved to straddle him. With his hands on her hips she pressed down causing them both to call out for the other.

A stir from beneath the blanket caused them to stop momentarily; a wave of fear washed over both of their hearts. Their breathing now heavy for another reason. Neither one wanting to be caught in this position nor wanting to stop. Both thinking such an occurrence would never come up again. Moreover, how would they talk their way out of their compromising position?

Ashe, still planted on Basch, prayed that Balthier would not wake up, knowing full well that if they were caught the sky pirate would make a huge deal over the whole ordeal until the day he died: probably by her or Basch's hand. But when he neither sat up nor said a word they continued, wordlessly agreeing they would have to be quiet from then on.

It did not take them long to find a rhythm. Ashe clung to Basch's neck as she moved quickly atop of him while he held fast to her hips and met her every stroke. Their soft cries and moans mingled with the crackling fire and soft snores of the spooning teens not a stones throw away.

Knowing the end to be not far off, Basch moving his hands to hold Ashe's head and kiss her deeply. Their bodies stilled together as the heated exchange came to a pinnacle. Their final cries lost in each other.

Spent, the pair pulled away from each other and began to redress, not wanting the others to know of what occurred between them. Basch crawled over to where Ashe was closing her shirt and wrapped his arms around her.

"Warm now, highness?" he asked, kissing her exposed neck.

"Very. I thank you, Basch," she replied with a smile and turned to face him. He smiled in return and kissed her lips one last time before pulling her down with him for some much needed sleep.

* * *

The sun hung warmly in the sky, slaying the arctic atmosphere that had reigned over the Paramina Rift during the night. The sound of dripping water mixed with a fire's last effort to glow inside the cave. A droplet of melting ice found its fate as an alarm when it landed on the face of one of the cave's still sleeping occupants.

The young boy's eyes shot open as something cold and wet began to trickle down his face. Rolling over, Vaan groaned as the next one plunged into his eye. Slowly he untangled himself from Penelo and sat up, shaking the water and little sleep he had managed to acquire the night before from his face. Looking up he noticed the two sky pirates standing examining something with their backs to him. Not wanting to be left out of another secret among the two, Vaan stood up and joined them.

"Hey, what are you two looking-"

"Shh." The Vierian woman held her finger over her mouth. "The Lady Ashe and her knight sleep still," she said. The orphan looked down at Basch and Ashe. Basch's arms were wrapped tightly around Ashe's waist and their foreheads touched in an intimate manner. While Basch's shirt was gone, Ashe retained her's yet the blue sash she wore around her midsection was missing, exposing her belly button.

"It looks like our princess has used my payment method to pay someone else for warmth," Balthier noted with a cheeky smile.

"What?" Vaan asked standing beside his pirate idol. "Just because they are like that doesn't mean they…" he trailed off. Balthier chuckled and threw his arm around the younger boy.

"Vaan, Vaan, Vaan. You have much to learn in the ways of bodily satisfaction. I, being an expert, can tell when someone has scratch a carnal itched and these two most definitely did," Balthier explained.

"What? How can you tell?" Vaan challenged. Balthier chucked again.

"He is a light sleeper," Fran said before her partner could conjure up a convincing lie.


End file.
